Lined With Silver (14 page)

Zack shook his head. “The wrapping and the
box were pristine. If it had been mishandled that badly, it
would’ve been reflected in the container. Besides, if you’ve ever
unpacked a new set of dishes, there’s more cardboard in the box
than there are dishes.”

“You’re right.” Sondra reached gingerly past
the shards and pulled out a typed note. Her hands shook as she
read.

Zack asked, “May I?” At her nod, he pulled
the note away and read it himself. Anger was written on his face
when he dropped the note to the desk.

“I am shattered. You will be too.” Zack
repeated. “Who would send you a note like that?”

“I have no idea.” She stared at the paper
like it was a coiled rattler. “But I
have
angered a lot of
spouses over the years.”

“Has anyone done this before?”

She shook her head, speechless.

“I think we should get the police
involved.”

Images of horrified clients watching officers
barge into the firm had Sondra reaching to stop Zack as he put his
phone to his ear. “Please, don’t. We need to take this to the
police. I don’t want to panic my clients.”

Reluctantly, Zack stuffed the phone back into
his pocket. “Where is the nearest station?”

“It’s about six blocks from here.” She
grabbed her coat. Zack helped her with it, closed up the box, and
carried it back to the car.

They drove in silence. Sondra guessed from
the set of Zack’s jaw that he wasn’t going to rest until the
perpetrator was found.

When they arrived at the station, they walked
into a door only to be faced with plexiglass between the woman
behind a desk and the waiting room. Zack deposited the box on an
end table and moved over to the partition. “I need to report a
threat.”

The woman looked up and said, “You’ll need to
call dispatch to report it. A police officer will have to handle
it.”

“Can’t you make the call?”

She shook her head. “It has to come from you.
You can either use the phone on the wall or call from a cell
phone.”

Disgruntled by the process, Zack pulled out
his phone and dialed 911. While he was reporting the event, Sondra
stood up and walked nervously around the small room. The past
couple of days, she’d found herself dead on her feet by the end of
the day. This unknown threat had her adrenaline flowing.

A familiar tone rang through the room. Nikki.
What a time to call. Sondra picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, Sondra. Are the rumors true?”

“What rumors?” Sondra tried to pretend she
didn’t know what Nikki was referring to.

“That you’re married.”

“Who told you that?” Stalling. They both knew
it.

“Cari. She didn’t seem to think it was a
secret. Is there something you’re hiding from me?”

Sondra glanced at the ceiling, begging for
some help. It was useless. Divine intervention was out. There were
too many lies. She blew out a breath, stared at Zack who was
occupied by his own conversation, and stepped outside. “I didn’t
want to get you involved. It seemed like the easiest way to explain
a pregnancy.”

“What. Did. You. Do?” Nikki asked.

“I got married.”

“You WHAT?”

“Nikki. Calm down. It’s only until the babies
are born. It was to keep my clients from bailing.”

“Does your husband know this?”

“Since it was a mutually-advantageous
arrangement, I would say so.”

“What’s in it for him?” Nikki sounded
doubtful.

“Keeping his grandmother from being thrown
out of her house.”

“How does marriage prevent that?” Nikki
asked.

“If he didn’t get married, he was going to be
thrown out of the will. Because he did marry, he is the executor of
the estate and can make the final decision on financial
affairs—including whether or not his grandmother stays in her own
home.”

“I don’t like this. Not one bit. I didn’t
mean for you to throw your whole life away for me.” Nikki’s sobs
were audible. “I’ve ruined your life.”

Stunned into silence, Sondra stood and
listened to her sister’s meltdown. Finally, she said, “I’m old
enough to figure out how to run my life, and you haven’t ruined it.
I’ve just put a few things on hold.”

“But now you’re married.” Nikki wailed.

“As you know, I’m an attorney. I handle
divorces all the time. This should be a piece of cake.”

“Are you sure?” Nikki’s tears seemed to be
drying.

Sondra nodded and then, remembering she was
talking on the phone, said, “Yes. I am.”

Nikki sniffed and then asked, “Who is the
lucky guy? Is it anyone I know?”

“Zack Carlson.”

“Zack Carlson? Like
the
Zack Carlson?”
Nikki sounded incredulous.

“Yes. The one and only.” Sondra couldn’t help
the smile that warmed her face. She was sure Nikki could hear
it.

“
How
did that happen?”

“We took the same flight to Washington,
DC.”

Silence. It was as pregnant as Sondra was.
“Okay. Back up. When did you go to DC?”

“The day you came in to make your request.
Thursday.”

“And when did you marry Zack?”

“Friday.”

Sondra could almost hear the wheels spinning
in Nikki’s head. “That was fast.”

Sondra laughed. “I took the opportunity and
ran with it.”

“Does Zack know how you feel about him?”
Nikki asked.

“Felt. That was a long time ago.
Felt
.”

“So you don’t have any feelings for him now?”
Nikki pressed.

Sondra pursed her lips and tried to think of
what to say. Her sister knew her too well. She knew the nuances of
her voice. Slowly, she said, “Zack is, well, ummm, Zack. I would be
a total robot if I didn’t have any feelings, but he has no idea how
I feel.”

“Why not? You’re married, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but it’s complicated. I don’t want him
feeling obligated to keep this permanent. It wouldn’t be fair to
build a relationship on my own youthful infatuation. He’s got such
an over-developed big brother thing going that I don’t want him
tied to me if he doesn’t have any feelings for me that way.”

“Have you
looked
at yourself lately?”
Nikki asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“It wouldn’t be hard to hook him.” Nikki
sounded very sure of that fact.

Sondra sighed. “I just don’t want it to be
because he feels obligated. I want him to really love me for who I
am, not because he feels like I’m some sort of responsibility in
his life.”

“So when exactly are you going to work on
that?” Nikki asked.

“There isn’t much I can do until the twins
are born.”

“I’ve been dying to know but haven’t dared
call. I know I’m already asking so much of you, and I know how busy
you are.” Nikki took a quivering breath. “Is everything
alright?”

“So far, everything is fine. Although I’m
awfully tired.”

“I don’t remember feeling that way.” Nikki
said.

“Everyone is different, although Zack
recognized the signs right away. Jade and I are sharing similar
side effects.”

“Who is Jade?”

“His sister.”

“That’s odd.”

“I know, right?”

“So how is Zack so aware of your physical
needs? Does he live close?” Nikki pressed.

“He’s living with me right now.”

“WHAT?”

Sondra pulled the phone from her ear, then
put it back to reply, “Yeah. The guest room.”

“For living a temporary arrangement, you are
pushing limits.”

“It’s not how it seems.” Sondra confessed. “I
fell asleep during the Christmas party and Zack decided I couldn’t
drive myself to work.”

“How thoughtful.” Nikki’s voice dripped
sarcasm.

Defensively, Sondra said, “He really has been
taking good care of me. His main goal right now is to help me get
the twins here safely.” Sondra paused a moment. “How is Brad?”

“The new therapy seems to be helping. He’s
put on a couple of pounds this week.”

“That’s good news.”

“Yes, we’re both happy.”

A police cruiser pulled into the parking
lot.

“I need to go.” Sondra’s voice was rushed.
With all the other stressors in Nikki’s life, she didn’t need to be
burdened with this. “I’ll let you know if anything happens with the
twins. In the meantime, you work on getting Brad healthy.”

“I will. I love you. Thanks for your
willingness to do this for us.”

“No problem. And please, keep the state of my
marriage under your hat. I don’t want it getting to the wrong
ears.”

“Do Mom and Dad know?” Nikki asked.

“Not yet, and their ears are the wrong
ones.”

“Gotcha. Keep in touch.”

“I will.” Sondra shut the phone as the
officer walked through the door. She followed behind and listened
as Zack explained the package to the officer. She answered a few
questions, then the officer scribbled on his pad, picked up the
box, and disappeared behind a metal door.

“And that’s that. What a gift.” Zack
said.

They stared at each other, and Sondra’s eyes
grew big. “You don’t think we’ll get more, do you?”

“More what?”

“Wedding gifts?”

“I wouldn’t call that a wedding gift, but…”
he paused to push a stray hair behind her ear, “wedding gifts might
come as the news spreads.”

Sondra looked stricken. “What are we supposed
to do with gifts?”

“Well,” Zack drawled, “we could enjoy the
bounty and send back thank you notes.”

“I think I’d rather stick them in a closet
and send them back after we get divorced.”

“Or you could return them to the various
stores and get cash back. Checks are easier to return than gifts.
Or you could put the money in a bank account for the twins.”

Sondra shuddered. “I just hope no one thinks
we need wedding gifts.” Zack opened the door for Sondra and then
got behind the wheel.

“Nikki finally heard the news.” Sondra
said.

“What do you mean ‘heard the news?’”

“Apparently, she called Cari to talk to me
and Cari spilled the beans. She didn’t know it was a secret.”

“What are you talking about?” Zack’s brows
drew together in a puzzled frown.

“Our marriage.”

“Is it a secret?” His eyebrows rose in a
question as their eyes met. He turned his attention back to the
road as she answered.

“Well, I haven’t told my parents yet.” She
admitted.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t want them upset over missing my
wedding. If we’re divorced before they return next December,
they’ll have missed the entire stressful event.”

“Only to be greeted by grandbabies.” He
nodded as if he agreed with her plan.

“Exactly.” Sondra took a breath and then
continued, “I wasn’t sure how Mom and Dad would feel about the
whole surrogacy thing.”

Zack caught her eyes again and then directed
his attention to the snowy road. “How are
you
feeling about
the whole surrogacy thing?”

Sondra bit her lip and stared out the window.
She didn’t even want to admit her mixed feelings to herself. Even
though the twins were so young, so new, just knowing they were
growing inside her, gaining sustenance from her own body, made them
feel more hers than Nikki’s.

She wanted desperately to help Nikki, but
this sacrifice was bigger than she thought it would be. When the
babies were born, would she really be able to hand them over with
no regrets? They might have been created by Nikki and Brad, but
they were being sustained by her. That sustenance had meaning, and
it was something she hadn’t even considered. She caught a tear
before it ran down her cheek.

As she stilled herself, Zack’s phone rang. He
stared at the phone a moment and then glanced at Sondra. “That’s
Jade. I think it’s Dad.”

He pressed the speaker. “Hi. What’s up?”

“Dad died. What are we going to do about
Granny?”

Zack narrowed his eyes in anger. “We aren’t
doing anything about Granny. I’m leaving her right where she’s at.
If she needs help, we’ll hire a live-in nurse to go in and
help.”

“You can’t do that. Dad put everything in my
name.” Jade’s voice took on a strident tone.

“That’s only if I didn’t marry.” Zack’s calm
voice was a contrast.

“As far as I know, that hasn’t changed.” Jade
sounded triumphant.

“You haven’t met Sondra yet.”

Jade paused and then asked, “Who is
that?”

“My wife.”

Jade gasped. “When did the happy event take
place?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”

“How come you didn’t send out
announcements?”

“I didn’t have time. Sondra and I decided to
marry before I heard about the change in the will. We moved the
date up a bit, that’s all.”

“Where did you get married?” Jade asked.

“A courthouse in Virginia.”

“Who married you?”

“Not that’s it’s any of your business, but
his name is Justice Turly and he did a fine job.” Zack’s
white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel belied his calm tone.

“I thought you always wanted a temple
wedding.”

At that accusation, Zack turned white under
his caramel color. His voice throbbed with anger. “Why should you
care? It’s not like you married there.”

Silence again filled the car, and then Jade
responded, her own anger clear. “I never lived the faith like you
did. When you went on your mission, you swore you’d never risk your
marriage like our parents did. Dad never joined the church. I
suppose you’ll make sure their temple work is done, but you said
you wouldn’t risk that for your own family. Sondra must be really
something if you’re willing to throw your temple wedding away.”

Sondra averted her gaze, staring out the
window and hoping Zack wouldn’t see the naked pain she was sure was
visible on her face. She had always felt the same. Here she was,
throwing her temple marriage away. And for what?